Former Bohannon site becomes parking lot

For the past week now there has been one common sight on campus: Students plugging their noses as they pass by the construction site between the Dolan Center for Science and Technology and the Administration Building.

What most of the students perceive as gross is actually the smell of victory. According to Carol Dietz, the associate vice president of facilities, she said the field is nearing completion.

“We’re almost to the point where we can plant the sod,” she said. “The field should be done by late November.”

This is excellent news for spring sports that will be looking to use the field once it is finished.

As any student that made the mistake last year of trying to walk across that field will remember, it had a terrible time draining, and with this record-setting year for rain, this was a concern for the athletes who would play on the field.

According to Dietz, the field was completely excavated this past summer and a new drainage and irrigation system were put in place so the water would not puddle as it did last year.

With the field expecting to be completed in November, the attention turns to the new parking lot and when it will be opened and completed. That is a two-part answer. The lot opened with about 200 spaces yesterday, Wednesday, Oct. 26, but the full 338 parking spaces will not be open until the main drive section of the lot is completed.

Many students who have passed by the new lot may wonder how it can be completed so soon, as the road next to the lot and the actual parking lot are not on even levels. The main road is at a much higher level, so much so that it would damage most cars if they attempted to make the change.

Dietz said that the crews will actually be closing down the main road and allowing cars to either use the road in front of the Administration building or allowing them to drive through the new lot.

With the main road closed, it takes out the actual ability to use all of the spaces which is why the parking lot will not be able to open to full capacity.

The new lot on campus will now allow students who have had to park their cars at Target to move their cars onto campus making their cars more easily accessible.

Senior Stanton Kochanek is one of those students that will be able to move his car from Target.

Kochanek said, “They [the school] did a good job of informing us about progress, so I can’t really complain.”

After the tuition rise last year students have been more keenly aware of the cost of the new improvements on campus and this huge renovation has been a point of content among students.

According to Dietz, the project was $2.5 million and was funded through gifts.

Dietz said they were coming in under budget at the moment; although, there is a safety net of money that is in place if they were to come into any unexpected complications.

Kochanek is just one of many students who are looking forward to being able to move their cars onto the campus.